Connecting Communities

There are many existing local and national services and groups (click here for a list of these) which address the drivers of suicide – explicitly or implicitly.

Part of Forth SPAN’s role is to bring local people into contact with relevant services, groups and support which help people in the local community to maintain or improve their own mental health and wellbeing or that of family, friends, or clients/group members.

These include:

• Explicit suicide prevention and mental health organisations such as the Samaritans and SAMH;
• Peer support organisations like Andy’s Man Club and Women’s Wellbeing Club; and

A wide range of organisations and services which have implicitly positive impacts and address factors we know can contribute to suicide, such as:

• Loneliness and poor social cohesion ( e.g. Men’s Sheds or wild swimming groups);
• Trauma and relationship breakdown (e.g. Scottish Women’s Aid or Relationships Scotland);
• Financial insecurity (e.g. Money Talk Team or Scottish Government Cost of Living Support); and
• Addiction and substance misuse (e.g. Scottish Recovery Consortium or Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs).